This is a liveblog of one of the parallel sessions at the #transliteracy conference.
Chaired by Diane Taylor, [DMU]
* Dr Steve Gibson [DMU] Transdisciplinary Digital Art
* Michael Maguire [UCD] cameltext.com
* Christine Wilks Underbelly
We'll be starting here in just a moment, once the room is set up :)
First up, Transdisciplinary Digital Art - artistic research and practice that does not conform to strict disciplinary boundaries
Distinction between Transdisciplinary and inter-disciplinary - Interdisciplinary implies a certain level of detachment across the mediums, (x-ref John Cage Variations V -
www.youtube.comDistinction between Transdisciplinary and inter-disciplinary - Interdisciplinary implies a certain level of detachment across the mediums, (x-ref John Cage Variations V -
www.youtube.comIn interdisciplinary work, the disciplines are separate, concurrent rather than interactive
(ref the youtube vid) - incongruity of sound world and dance - not what we're doing, transdisciplinary is way more collaborative. Cross pollenating,
transdisciplinary implies direct cross over between mediums and discipline.
transdisciplinary ≠ polymath? (steve thought)
in the modern era, science and art have been viewed as separate domains, transdisciplinary practice looks to re-integrate the arts and sciences.
digital art refers specifically to art made with computer technology (just for clarity)
"Grand Theft Bicycle" - to allow you to ride through computer games.
grandtheftbicycle.comBike interface functions as a joystick - game art, beyond the orig. purpose of the game (modified version of GTA), replaced all the characters with politicians...
(we're watching a vid of Grand Theft Bicycle being played - the mashed up politician characters, and then about the bike itself - see the website for more deets -
grandtheftbicycle.com )
(need to catch up with Steve Gibson for a chat later, to ask some Qs about where there transliterate angle is on this... Q for you readers - does interactive art always require a degree of transliteracy? Is learning how to program a computer to create art make it transdisciplinary, any more than 'art' as an abstract needs to be expressed in some kind of sensory form?
the background on this game is a graphic that visualises Napoleons march on Moscow. I kid you not.
Srsly, this stuff looks fascinating, as a game that's the product of a PhD abstract... But it's almost impossible to describe without looking at it... eek!
"jungian alchemical insights" - yes, he just said that. And I'm meant to blog it with meaning...
I've suddenly got a new respect for powerpoint slides with bullet points. I'd pay good money for some right now.
"I am the song that heard itself sing,
limp unsolicited intrusions too,
I game,
phoney poetry,
spiritual citizen"
- that's his 5 lines that explain the elements of the game/PhD. ?
3 ideas - a Camel is a horse designed by committee. (ah, I've just realised I've missed out all the upper/lower-case formatting in his 5 line thing - it's significant, he says... sorry!)
OK, third presenter - Christine Wilks.
Her piece of work is called Underbelly - on the MA at DMU
is an example of transliterate practice as it's a multimedia piece that she did the coding for, the voiceovers, wrote it. It's an interactive narrative about a woman sculpture carving in a colliery... (will try to find a weblink for this... hang on :) )
here's some info about it -
crissxross.net - I'm going to give up blogging here for the moment, and hopefully come back with some conversations with the artists presenting here later - text really doesn't do any of this stuff justice... will keep posting if any insights emerge that will work in this format...
Audience getting involved in navigating through the material and making choices which determine the way the story and outcocmes develop.
Q from Sue Thomas - do you need to be a maker to understand the work?
Michael says you need to be familiar with the tools so that they stop being a barrier to you doing the work. You need fluency, to get into the creatibe space and the flow. Whether the work resonates with anyone after that is another thing. Unless it's generative or emergent.
Steve Lawson - what about the different limitations which may help to determine the form of the art - but combining multiple disciplines - does that redefine the interfaces between artist art and the audience
Steve says its about combining new media - take game art; it's quite boring as a game - but as art it can be interesting from a political or a comedic/satiric aspects. An amalgam of mediums makes it harder to appreciate what's 'good'.
Michael says we need to look at theatre for some guidance - look at how Beckett and how he re-wrote the rules. To a certain extent, rules for action may need to be re-written. Often this is a personal or a cultural value that we bring to the work.
"For us it's about failing, trying again and 'failing better' the next time"
[Sorry, I just lost about 6 posts as the network locked me out :( apologies]
Now talking about the cross and trans-disciplinary nature of audiences. The narrower you are the fewer people will want to get involved with your art. The need for a "transliterate audience" underpins the move to cross/trans disciplinary practice.
Steve Lawson
brian_condon
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